Last year, I would have said Harper's Bazaar, but US Vogue has made a vast improvement in 2010, I love every issue and every editorial. Even the models or celebrities I don't care too much for seem more appealing in the "new" Vogue. It seems like Bazaar is going down hill, and has been for a while, but 2009 was their year. I hope Anna and the rest of the Vogue team keep it up this upcoming year!

I like Vogue because they just do more interesting fashion stories. Harper's Bazaar's approach to fashion is too straightforward to me. Not to mention the low quality talent they have been using recently.

Right from the top I'll say VOGUE: this magazine represents this high side of sophistication and the glamorous side of the powerful and rich society and its people. Vogue has this huge history, and it's nonetheless the world's most influential fashion magazine, OUR bible who happens to be copied every month by hundreds of magazines and in various editions.

Vogue turns up actresses and models (when they're lucky to be on the cover) into household names. Vogue represents this high end world; designers bring their vision to life throughout the glossy pages, the editors pick only the best of the best: la crème de la crème of photographers, stylists, models, editors, accessories, garments.

What makes Vogue so special in comparison to HB is that they bring an historical and cultural feel to their pictures and articles where Harper's Bazaar is more nowadays a stars' lives and gossip magazine like US Weekly if you would. They bring a commercial side of fashion: it's about selling and accessories and stars' lives and tips: there's no dream or fashion beautiful door that help you to get in that world, yeah they're closer to their readers but do we care about that? I believe what makes Vogue' strength is actually this unattainable fantasy and the fact that this world would not let everyone in, but that's why it makes it so special.

Cover style wise I mean, we can bitch and moan about it but US Vogue covers, as boring as some may look like to some, they'll always be better than HB: which are tasteless (hello to Katy Perry's horrendous Photoshop disaster) too colorful, with too many coverlines and very repetitive ones "the age issue" anyone?? looool

Articles: Vogue again beats HB

Editorials: there's no denial that Vogue pulls off the goods better but I have to admit the HB ones are really cool too, but not on the same level.

And as much as I love VOGUE, I sometimes believe I shouldn't feel so connected to it, since it's not at all my world (I'm a student who don't get to have that much money to spend on the items of the mag, I'm a 24 something guy and not a 40 business woman that can live this life depicted in some articles) or neither corresponds to this idea I have of people living with each other and conentrating in social relations and helping the world to get better (global warming, poverty) but I guess the glossy-mario testino-over the top pictures-editorialesque vibe of supermodels on the pages and in their lives-kind of world is seducing me and is extremely tempting hehe. For me, it's a fun world, and it's a beauty world, but it's not reality:

I have in mind, Anna Wintour's daughter's sentence from "the September Issue": "It's a fun world and you can enjoy it and makes fun of it but I think there's something else out-there than fashion" or something like that = meaning I love this world and Vogue but then we have also our lives where we have to eat, help economically our families or friends or children and to make a living and not just stay in this beautiful world.

Remembering now too when Mario Testino, on CNN revealed, when shooting the Versace Campaign with Kate Moss, Carmen Kass and Carolyn Murphy: "it's an ideal world, it doesn't exist in reality but this is what we would like our world to be".

As modela says, it depends on which country you're considering. I've mentioned before that I don't consider US Bazaar as a counterpart to US Vogue anymore - for me, it's become a version of Marie Claire that covers a more expensive lifestyle. Yet I do buy it, for that uncomplicated coverage of rather bland glamour.

It's hard to believe Harper's once gave American Vogue a run for its money. What a sad state it is in now. One wonders what heights they would have reached if we were still fortunate enough to have Liz Tilberis around. Kate Betts was not terrible either but Bailey is just awful.
When I think of an iconic cover, nothing comes close, this is the standard:Harpersbazaar.com

Vogue! Every-single-time!! Its simple; Glenda Bailey's Bazaar is NOT worthy of my money, and it very seldom gets it! While Wintour's Vogue is not perfect, it delivers by far more often than its rival, even when the actual "fashion content" (editorials, features, news) is not inviting, i get it for the articles they might have, not neccessarily connected to fashion actually. For someone who values good, well written features in fashion magazines, it is of importance.

So while Vogue has reports from the amazing; Joan Juliet Buck, Sarah Mower, Hamish Bowles, the incredible Jonathan Van Meter, to name a few. Bazaar often gives me major wtf contributors; who can forget Ashton Kutcher writing about how couples should dress, or about the Spring/Summer trends? Rita Wilson sharing her views on layering? Please!

At least Vogue still keeps their prestige level high, not to say Bazaar doesnt sometimes deliver great content, but a certain quote my favortie comic once said, comes to mind;"They violate their standards quicker than they can lower them".

And not to be a total b!tch (oh actually, i dont mind), but Bailey should have stayed at Marie Claire where she seemed more suited. Bazaar HAS to change, so i say; off with her head!:p

* An eerily equal hatred is shared for the current state of W magazine!

Id say harpers bazaar, I can actually read a bazaar from cover to cover....I always HAVE to skip through 65% of Vogue....about half of the content is not even on fashion....I dont want to read about summer gardens, art, politicians etc.....Had i wanted that I would have gone with Vanity Fair or a magazine of that sort. I want to be consumed and bombarded with Fashion/Beauty. And while the editorial content of Bazaar is clearly not up to par with that of Vogue's....I always find myself actually reading Bazaar, instead of just flipping through it, like i do with Vogue.

^ I actually like that US Vogue will do features on people in other fields who are still very fashionable. The features in Harper's are more user friendly I suppose, though Harper's has better runway coverage imo. But US Vogue over Harper's any day. Not a big fan of UK Harper's either I prefer UK Vogue as well.

Neither of their is a good magazine for me, I much more enjoy reading even less popular magazines, but you can at least find some really better photoshoots or articles, what I don't find at Vogue or Harper's Bazaar, especially now, all their issues seem to be so much boring and the same. But I'll go with Vogue, you know, it's Fashion Bible..